Let’s Have a Look at the Ballot Arguments For and Against Removing the McKinley Statue in Arcata

No doubt the Wikipedia page for our 25th president has seen a big Arcata-centric bump in traffic this past year as freshly minted amateur historians researched their theories that William McKinley was either a) an abhorrent, genocidal racist who steamrolled entire indigenous cultures in his imperialistic zeal to fulfill Manifest Destiny, or b) a heroic, correct-side Civil War veteran who rescued our nation from both slavery and economic depression only to get assassinated for his troubles.

The arguments about Arcata’s plaza statue of the man have tended to be equally binary: If you want to keep it you’re probably a white nationalist; if you want it removed you’re part of the PC mob out to erase history.

In case you’ve lost track of where we are in this municipal mud wrestle, Measure M, which will appear before Arcata voters on the November general election ballot, is a citizen initiative designed to prevent the removal of ol’ Marble Bill from his current perch, glowering in disapproval at the pot smokers and slackliners frolicking on the town square beneath him.

In the unlikely event that you’re a registered voter in Arcata who has yet to take a position on this issue, the official ballot arguments for and against Measure M have arrived, along with rebuttals to those arguments, in hopes of convincing you one way or the other.

We’ve copied-and-pasted those arguments in their entirety below, but first a few observations. There are, as expected, differing views on McKinley’s place in history, but one historical claim in particular piqued our interest. The “No on M” argument says McKinley’s presence on the square is a particular affront because the plaza “served as the auction site for enslaved Indigenous children, women, and men… .”

We heard this claim from some public speakers at Arcata City Council meetings earlier this year, and so a while back we asked local historian Jerry Rohde, who said he’s unaware of any such auctions. But that’s not because the white folk of Humboldt County were above such cruelty. Far from it. They just didn’t require anything so formal as an auction to take ownership of local Native Americans.

Rohde explains:

That is because “An Act for the Government and Protection of Indians” was made a California statute in 1850, while California was still waiting to become a state. It provided for a local justice of the peace to indenture Indian children to whites, with the consent of the parents [or] friends. Of course it was easy to abuse this consent requirement, and [in] 1860 it was weakened so that someone could simply claim they had obtained consent.

Rohde found historical records showing that many prominent locals of that era, including a county supervisor, the editor of the Humboldt Times and a founder of the City of Ferndale, indentured Indians, including young children.

“It is possible,” Rohde said in an email, “that some of these Indian children may have been taken to Arcata with the intent to indenture them, but this is about as far as I can connect anything to do with slavery with the plaza.”

Regardless, the authors of the “No on M” argument, including Arcata City Councilmember Paul Pitino and leaders from a variety of local community organizations, note that Arcata “is built upon lands first inhabited by the Wiyot People,” and they say McKinley presided over “the imperialistic colonization of Puerto Rico, Cuba, Guam, the Philippine Islands, and Hawai’i.” Thus, to many, his likeness “represents the belief in Manifest Destiny that was used to justify the dispossession, enslavement, and genocide of the Indigenous Peoples of this continent and abroad.”

On the contrary, say David La Rue and Stanton Reynolds, authors of the “Yes-on-M” argument, “McKinley was a dedicated abolitionist and enlisted in the Union Army to fight slavery.” They say he was also “a strong advocate for the voting rights of black citizens and appointed many Blacks to federal positions.”

La Rue and Reynolds also make a financial argument, saying they very much doubt the city’s estimate that it will cost $65,000 to remove the statue. Some Eastern cities have had to shell out half-a-mil per unwanted statue. And to those who claim donations will cover the costs, what do La Rue and Reynolds say? “We say, “Show Us the Money!”

They conclude by arguing that once we as a society start taking down president statues, “No President is safe.” Such vandalism, they say, amounts to “tearing down and erasing history,” which is bad.

Curiously, La Rue and Reynolds are not the authors of the rebuttal to the “No on M” argument. Instead that counterargument is signed by current City Councilmember Michael Winkler, former city councilmembers Dan Hauser and Bob Ornelas, and local author Gordon Inkeles, whose literary canon is mostly comprised of books about sensual massage.

The rebuttal takes a decidedly more contemptuous tone, deriding statue opponents as a “shrill group [that] has viciously attacked one of Arcata’s crown jewels” and caused public meetings to degenerate into “tirades, insults and screaming.”

The rebuttal to the “Yes-on-M” argument, meanwhile, suggests that leaving McKinley where he stands amounts to a tacit celebration of “massacres, water torture, concentration camps and orders by top military officials to kill anyone over the age of 10.”

Clearly this statue debate, like so many small-stakes arguments these days, has come to represent nothing less than a battle over our very souls. Vote accordingly.

Here’s the argument in favor of Measure M:

We honor the World War 2 generation as the “Greatest Generation”, who saved our world from Nazi and
fascist totalitarianism. The citizens of President McKinley’s time, honored Civil War veterans as their
“Greatest Generation” who saved our country and freed black citizens from slavery.

McKinley was a dedicated abolitionist and enlisted in the Union Army to fight slavery. He was the last Civil
War veteran to serve as President, a strong advocate for the voting rights of black citizens and appointed
many Blacks to federal positions.

McKinley was popular and well respected. His actions ended a painful economic depression. In 1898, he
reluctantly signed a Congressional war declaration to end Spanish oppression in Cuba. His assassination
in 1901 shocked the nation. In its wake, citizens in many cities throughout the U.S., including Arcata,
erected statues in his honor.

Arcata estimates total cost to remove the statue at $65,000. Some Eastern cities have incurred actual
costs up to $500,000 per statue, substantial overruns from initial estimates. Statue removal advocates
claim donations will cover all costs. We say, “Show Us the Money!”
To some in our area, the McKinley statue is a symbol of harm and displacement against Native
Americans. We also deplore those acts. However, those harms attributed to President McKinley,
overwhelmingly occurred years before he was President.

The McKinley statue has stood watch over our plaza since July 4th, 1906. President McKinley was highly
honored in his time, both for his service in the Civil War and as an effective, progressive and enlightened
leader.

Removing Presidential statues is a dangerous path to start down. No President is safe. Rather than
tearing down and erasing history, add to it and improve our understanding of its historic context.

Vote “Yes” on M

Keep our statue!

Honor our histories!

/s/ David La Rue/s/ Stanton Reynolds

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Here’s the argument against Measure M:

Vote NO on Measure M. The McKinley statue does not belong as the centerpiece of the Arcata Plaza,
the same place that served as the auction site for enslaved Indigenous children, women, and men; and
for the collection of state bounties for Indigenous body parts during the mid to late 1800s. In October
2016, the City of Arcata recognized that it was founded and is built upon lands first inhabited by the Wiyot
People and thus adopted the Indigenous Peoples’ Day Proclamation which states:

“Whereas the City of Arcata is dedicated to opposing systemic racism towards all people
including Indigenous People in the United States; and
Whereas the City of Arcata understands that all government entities, organizations and other
public institutions should change their policies and practices to better reflect the experiences of
American Indian People and uplift our country’s indigenous roots, history and contributions.”

McKinley represents the belief in Manifest Destiny that was used to justify the dispossession,
enslavement, and genocide of the Indigenous Peoples of this continent and abroad. McKinley presided
over the imperialistic colonization of Puerto Rico, Cuba, Guam, the Philippine Islands, and Hawai’i.
William McKinley’s policies led to the loss of land rights, court, and governments of the Cherokee,
Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole Nations.

On February 12th, 2018 the Wiyot Tribal Council voted to have the McKinley statue removed. After
months of public input and research, on February 21st, 2018, the Arcata City Council voted 4 to 1 to
remove the McKinley statue.

The Arcata Plaza is the heart of our community where Indigenous Peoples and people of color are
constantly reminded of the symbolism that the statue represents. Vote for compassion, empathy,
respect, and dignity for the Indigenous community members and their relatives. Stand with Indigenous
Peoples.

A shrill group has viciously attacked one of Arcata’s crown jewels: our plaza statue of President William
McKinley. They hope to rewrite history by smearing a much-loved abolitionist president as “racist.”

Public meetings degenerated into tirades, insults and screaming, Dissenting voices were silenced by
threats and name-calling. The July 18th Mad River Union noted this group’s high pressure attempt to
force the Arcata City Council to override the voters and break the law.

But the thing they feared most will now happen: the fate of our 100 year old plaza statue will be decided
by Arcata voters.

Whether or not the opposition actually lives in Arcata they love spending our tax dollars—while lying to
voters about actual costs. Don’t believe wild claims that our McKinley statue can be removed for “only”
$65,000. Charlottesville Va, was staggered by an estimate of more than $350,000 to move one statue.
New Orleans moved four statues based on a “group estimate” of slightly over $100,000. The real cost?
$2,100,000.00, $525,000 for each statue!

Arcata taxpayers would be stuck with that bill. To balance our budget, a $525,000 project would require
either cutting services—terminating approximately eight city employees (eight fewer police officers or the
entire recreation department). That or raise taxes.

Arcata’s Tom Damman put it well: “I will not vote to remove the statue of a hero who fought to end
slavery.”

Removing the McKinley statue from the plaza is not erasing history, it is viewing history through the lens
of time and represents an evolution of our understanding of how and to whom we pay homage.
Regardless of individual opinions about McKinley as a president, he does not define nor symbolize who
we are as a community and had no local connections to this area.

McKinley’s actions devastated the lives, cultures, and self-determination of Indigenous Peoples of the
Pacific through invasion and violence, which included massacres, water torture, concentration camps and
orders by top military officials to kill anyone over the age of 10. It was those same actions and ideals,
ruthlessly embodied in the settlers before and after McKinley’s time, that brought similar devastation to
Indigenous Peoples of this area.

Furthermore, prominent Black citizens of McKinley’s time, including some who would later found the
NAACP, decried his “incomprehensible silence” in the face of widespread lynching and race riots. Today,
our local NAACP stands in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples regarding the request to remove the
McKinley statue.

Removal of the statue is estimated to cost $65,000, which represents less than 0.2% of the city’s $40
million 2017/2018 adopted budget.

The Wiyot Tribe and many Native community members from throughout the region and considerable
numbers of people from diverse backgrounds have publicly expressed support for the relocation of the
statue. Join us in recognizing and honoring history and humanity.

One last thing, here. Outpost friend Steve Lazar, a senior planner with the county and local history buff, recently did some digging at the California State Library in Sacramento and came across an interesting little newspaper clipping from more than 70 years ago.

On Sept. 3, 1947, the Sacramento Bee ran a brief item about a group of Arcatans who wanted to replace the McKinley statue with one of renowned author Bret Harte, who, unlike McKinley, actually lived in Arcata (then called Union), where he worked as a miner, a teacher and a journalist.

He also had a mustache and some sweet mutton chops that, if sculpted in marble, would give drunk HSU students some excellent climbing holds.